Rio 2016: A factfile

We are less than three weeks away from the start of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – with the opening ceremony set for the 5th of August, and to be held at the famous Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

How much do you know about the upcoming games? The world will descend on the world’s carnival capital – so here are the facts…

Location

The events will take place at a total of 38 venues; 33 in Rio de Janeiro, and one in each of: Sao Paulo, Salvador, Manaus, Belo Horizonte and the capital, Brasilia.

Rio de Janeiro will be the first South American city to host the Olympic games, as well as being only the third in the Southern Hemisphere.

It will also be the first games to be played entirely within the host country’s winter season, and the first since 1968 to be held in Latin America.

Sports

There will be a record number of sports played at this summer’s Olympic games, with 306 events to be played across 28 different sports, from the more traditional track and field events to rugby sevens and golf.

Participants

As well as a record number of sports, there will also be a record number of participating athletes – 206 countries will take part in Rio, with over 10,500 athletes. Kosovo and South Sudan will take part in the games for the first time ever, as well as 10 refugee athletes, taking part under the Olympic flag.

Weather

Although the Olympics are taking part in Brazil’s winter season, it’ll still be fairly warm, with average highs expected to be around 24 degrees, and the lows at roughly 18 degrees Celsius.

A typical winter day in Rio is actually dryer than a summer one – with the least rain coming during this season. It could be chiller in cloud cover